1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a contact element for mechanically, thermally and electrically contacting at least one energy store. The present invention further relates to an energy store module including the contact element.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, hybrid electric or all-electric drive concepts are being developed to a greater extent to reduce emissions, such as the local emission of motor vehicles. The operation of electric machines in motor and generator mode presupposes an electrical energy store in the vehicle. The relatively high piece costs of a so-called traction battery in a vehicle make it desirable for a service life of the energy stores or of the cells to be within the scope of the vehicle service life.
Traction batteries typically include a few to several thousand individual cells which are interconnected in parallel or serial branches in such a way that the specification with respect to the operating range, i.e., the charge capacity of the entire traction battery, and the maximum power, i.e., the maximum load current per cell, are met. In practical embodiments, the cells are often assembled in compact modules. Such modules and their components should meet the requirements in terms of mechanical stability, thermic capacity and electrical contacting to ensure a long service life of the module, and thus of the entire traction battery.